Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Maasin City

For one person, living is cheaper in Maasin City: $731 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Maasin City
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Maasin City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Maasin City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Maasin City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Maasin City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $731 in Maasin City.

Medellin $1,692
Maasin City $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,126 in Maasin City.

Medellin $2,471
Maasin City $1,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,521 in Maasin City.

Medellin $3,249
Maasin City $1,521

Living in Medellin is roughly 131% more expensive than in Maasin City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Maasin City is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.94 ₱250

111.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$23.11 ₱1,464

101.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$3.86 ₱244

145.34%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.53 ₱160

23.72%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.63 ₱39.84

180.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.50 ₱31.70

184.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.67 ₱106

88.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.14 ₱135

166.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.89 ₱120

-19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.13 ₱71.7

102.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.82 ₱51.8

136.59%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.83 ₱116

67.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$4.76 ₱302

109.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.30 ₱272

143.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$7.42 ₱470

88.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.54 ₱97.3

162.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$0.61 ₱38.66

150.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.60 ₱102

31.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.52 ₱96.0

50.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$2.36 ₱150

-10.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.95 ₱123

-12.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.10 ₱69.8

6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.59 ₱37.33

167.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.82 ₱179

38.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$6.17 ₱391

127.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.21 ₱76.4

45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$1.65 ₱104

64.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$0.24 ₱15.22

391.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$12.16 ₱770

527.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.75 ₱47.40

141.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.20 ₱12.65

965.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$1.86 ₱118

337.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.36 ₱86.4

-5.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

66.73%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

80.69%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$178 COP 573.2K

$119 ₱7,540

49.35%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$15.32 ₱971

-9.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$27.59 ₱1,748

11.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$31.54 ₱1,998

32.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$5.33 ₱338

215.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$5.54 ₱351

34.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$790 COP 2.5M

$132 ₱8,333

500.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$7,821 ₱495.5K

57.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$32.36 ₱2,051

166.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$19.28 ₱1,222

207.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$75.8 ₱4,803

82.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$57.8 ₱3,664

70.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$253 ₱16.0K

430.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$170 ₱10.8K

293.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$480 ₱30.4K

311.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$351 ₱22.2K

194.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,608 ₱165.3K

57.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,117 ₱70.8K

73.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$125 ₱7,895

418.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.2

51.94%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Maasin City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Maasin City

$170 23.2% 74.6% $497

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Maasin City

$168 23% 45.2% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Maasin City

$162 22.1% 27.2% $60

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Maasin City

$91 12.4% 47.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Maasin City

$83 11.4% 51.6% $89

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Maasin City

$15 2% 84.1% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Maasin City

$43 5.8% 25.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $253 in Maasin City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $23 in Maasin City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $168 per month, with Maasin City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Maasin City

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

08:22 8:22 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

85,560

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.36 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.33 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Maasin City 17,110 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Maasin City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Maasin City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maasin City is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 5.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $253 in Maasin City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Maasin City – a meal for two runs $23 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $731 in Maasin City versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Maasin City but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Maasin City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Maasin City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.